||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||
Earth Day at Washington State Ferries
[Today] April 22, is Earth Day, and we have many reasons to celebrate as we’ve accomplished a lot in the past few years in making our ferry system the greenest in the world. In honor of the day and to proudly show our commitment to environmental sustainability, we will fly a “Green Marine Certified” flag on all operating vessels tomorrow. Green Marine is the premier environmental certification program for the North American maritime industry. To receive certification from Green Marine, participants must voluntarily self-evaluate their annual environmental performance. Those results must meet rigorous benchmarks that address key environmental issues through various performance indicators.
This “Green Marine Certified” flag will be flying on all our operating vessels tomorrow, April 22, as a display of our commitment to environmental sustainability.
We became the first U.S. ferry operator to join Green Marine in 2018 and have been certified since 2020. For details on what we’ve done and continue to do to maintain this prestigious Green Marine certification, I encourage you to visit our Environment webpage. That’s where you’ll also find our Sustainability Action Plan and details on how we’re making everyday Earth Day at Washington State Ferries!
Customized fall protection training for WSF employees
Working in a shipyard can be extremely dangerous. Proper training is key in preventing injury or death. That’s why we offer our shipyard employees with all the guidance needed to ensure they get home safe. We recently held fall protection training at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility that was customized for our employees. The class was designed around the hazards they face, like working atop the mast of a ferry or on the vessel exterior outside the passenger cabin or pilothouse. Kudos to all my colleagues who work in precarious environments to keep our vessels and terminals in safe, working order!
Electrician Adriann Bergman atop the mast of a ferry using a ladder safety system and a lanyard that allows both hands to be free for maintenance and repair work.
Vehicle reservations for summer season available Tuesday, May 3
Vehicle reservations for summer season travel on June 19 to September 24 on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes will go live at 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 3. This release is two weeks later than normal as we were finalizing IT upgrades to our online reservations system and minor schedule adjustments on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands run. For our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, another batch of reservations will be released two weeks before each specific sailing. The remaining space on each sailing will be available two days before.
Hundreds of bicyclists on Vashon Island routes Sunday, April 24
If you’re using our Vashon Island routes Sunday, April 24, plan for possible delays and limited vehicle capacity as hundreds of bicyclists cross the island for the Ride for Major Taylor. Expect a lot of bikes on our Point Defiance departures from 10:05 a.m. to 1:40 p.m., then on sailings from Vashon to Fauntleroy throughout the afternoon. Drivers should consider alternate travel times or routes. Participants are asked to follow directions from our staff and Cascade Bicycle Club volunteers at the terminals and on our vessels.
Daytime lane closure near Tahlequah terminal
Plan for possible daytime travel delays heading in or out of our Tahlequah terminal early next week. The southbound lane of Vashon Highway Southwest just north of the dock will be closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 25 and 26, for King County roadside soil sampling work. Flaggers will direct traffic around the work zone.
“Shout-out to the Bremerton Dock Worker [Terminal Attendant Celeste Beaumont] who manages the traffic for the 11:10. […] She is just the best; her patience, professionalism, and ability to multitask. And, she just has the greatest customer service. A real credit to WSF.”
-Seattle/Bremerton customer
